Mull sea eagles diary

Autumn arrives and Barn Owl chicks take a dive!

2011-09-21T15:03:00.007+01:00

Well, the storms blew through and our Barn Owl family survived, only for the wind and rain to return today with a vengeance. Ferries were cancelled this morning and from indoors the wild weather was quite exciting with trees bent right over and a mixture of torrential rain and hailstorms. Outside it was quite a different matter and we hope that all our young sea eagles are coping with the blustery weather. Autumn has certainly arrived with a vengeance.

We ringed our family of three Barn Owl chicks and I was a wee bit surprised at how small they were for their ages. The smallest has caught up quite well but isn't ready to go for a couple of weeks yet. Apart from ringing the chicks I took measurements and weights from which it was possible to age them to the day, and which told me that the oldest bird was not ready to go yet. Yet four days later the two larger chicks left the box and were seen sheltering in the bracken below. This is definitely a cause for concern as both birds are still quite downy, and their primary feathers are not fully unfurled which will hamper their flight. The younger chick is still in the box and is being fed well by the parent birds, so I hope they are feeding the older two as well. As I suggested putting up the box I almost feel responsible for our young family, so once again I will go up to the hide this evening to watch for the adult birds bringing food to them.

Skye and Frisa are still giving us some good views; they are not keen on torrential rain but they love the wind which enables them to fly long distances without having to flap - great for saving on energy. Food should be plentiful as the deer cull started last month, weeding out the weak or very old stags, and the grallochs (or innards) are left out on the hill by the stalkers for the birds of prey to feed on. Without the cull the deer would continue to multiply until there was insufficient food for all of them, and then the weaker ones would starve.

The stags are already roaring and the rut is due to start any time now, so being outside in the evening can sound quite eerie. I have a stag that frequently visits the land behind my gardens, but just recently he has started to roar and often catches me unaware when I go out to look at the stars on clear nights.

Will keep you updated on the owl family. I've only two weeks left until the end of my third season at the hide, but it will be impossible to keep away during the winter months.

Batten down the hatches

2011-09-12T11:46:00.004+01:00

Today, as promised, the weather is wild - torrential rain and the wind getting stronger by the minute. Skye and Frisa have sensibly hidden themselves away, probably sheltering under the cover of the trees, or maybe even on the ground amongst the bracken. The forecast is bad for the next couple of days across Scotland and Northern England, North Wales and Northern Ireland, so the raptors will keep themselves as dry as possible and wait until the weather clears before they come out to hunt again. Fortunately Sea Eagles can go up to four days without feeding so Skye and Frisa will pick their moment to look for a meal.

Life might not be quite so easy for our Barn Owl family - there are now three healthy chicks in the nestbox and "mum" is mostly leaving them to their own devices during the day, probably roosting in the second barrel with the male. At night both adults have been hunting to feed themselves and their growing family so we hope that they have been able to choose their moments and bring in some voles, mice or shrews during the spells between showers. Owls don't have much in the way of waterproofing so seldom hunt in very wet weather which raises a dilemna - do I mug the neighbourhood cats for the rodents they have caught and leave them out as an easy meal for the owls, or do I let nature take its course? For the time being I will do the latter, and monitor the owlets via the nestcam to see if the adults are managing to bring in any food. The Barn Owl family has been so popular that one of our visitors to the hide very generously gave us a donation with which to purchase another nestbox so that our youngsters have somewhere to roost during the winter months (and maybe raise their own family next year).

It has been fascinating watching the owlets on camera - they have been much more active during the day than I expected. Originally four chicks hatched but the smallest has since disappeared and we now have two quite big chicks and one smaller one. Three eggs failed to hatch which is not all that unusual. We've had good views of the adult female stretching her wings, and from the wing pattern I think she is a new mum, probably just over a year old, so to rear three chicks is quite an achievement first time round. The chicks are due to be ringed this week so I will make sure I get some photos to post here on the blog.

Having just had two weeks annual leave I have really noticed the changes on the island since I came back - autumn really seems to have taken an early hold. Our Sand Martin colony has left for warmer climes, and the Swallows are already lining up along the telegraph wires. The lone Whooper Swan on Loch Frisa who stayed behind when its parents migrated in the spring will hopefully soon be reunited with them when they return next month.

We seem to be constantly refilling the bird feeders at the hide with an influx of Tits, Chaffinches, Siskins, Goldfinches etc. emptying them as fast as we top them up. There still seem to be some young birds about, particularly fat little Chaffinches with downy heads.

Those of you who followed our Buzzard-cam last year will be pleased to know that our pair reared another youngster this year, unfortunately in a different nest so our camera couldn't pick them up. The young bird is just as vocal as last year's, still demanding food from it's parents. It hasn't quite mastered the art of hunting yet, spending a lot of time running up and down the fields rather than hovering above waiting for something to move. We have also been treated to some great displays by a family of Kestrels. On Friday we watched four of them repeatedly mobbing a Hooded Crow until, after half an hour, they managed to drive it away. It's a treat to see these miniature predators, particularly since Kestrels have been suffering a decline over the last 15 or so years not only in the UK but across Europe. It's good to know that they, like so many other birds, are doing well on Mull.

Here's hoping that the storms aren't as bad as forecast, and that all the birds will be out feeding again in the very near future.

New Star at the Eagle Hide

2011-07-21T16:05:00.009+01:00

Apart from our resident Sea Eagles, we are treated to views of plenty of other wildlife at Loch Frisa. Last year our Buzzard-cam was a huge success, and this year we have a camera on a large Sand Martin colony which nests in the quarry where our visitors park their cars. In a former life I was national co-ordinator of the Barn Owl Conservation Network, and I've always felt that the habitat in the area would be perfect for a nesting pair of Barn Owls. The local farmer told us that he often saw Barn Owls hunting over the area in the late evening, so last summer our Forestry Commission Wildlife Rangers put up a nest barrel which could be seen from the hide. Of course it had to have a nestcam installed, but by the time the barrel was put up it was getting a bit late in the year for the owls to nest, plus the fact that 2010 was not a good year for the Short-tailed Field Vole on Mull (the Barn Owls' staple diet).

This year we were hopeful that the owls might use the box as the vole population seemed to have recovered, and sure enough when the camera was turned on, there were two adult Barn Owls in residence. At that point they were using the box as a roost, but after a while we saw the birds copulating and a couple of weeks later the first egg was laid, but not until the male had proved that he was going to be a good provider for a family of growing owls. A huge pile of voles appeared in the nest and the female has now laid seven eggs. Incubation time is 31 days, so the first egg should hatch in the next week or so. By the time there were four eggs the female had evicted the male from the box - quite normal behaviour as when the chicks hatch she sees the male as a potential threat to tiny chicks.

However, it meant that the male now needed somewhere safe to roost during the day, particularly with a hungry Buzzard family and two Sea Eagles all looking for food! So the rangers put up a second nest barrel in nearby trees and we hope that the male is using it. The design might look strange at first sight, but by having the opening near the top the adult bird(s) can come in and out with ease, but the chicks can't get out until they are ready to fledge. The floor area needs to be quite large too, as the youngsters stay in the nest until they are eight or nine weeks old by which time they are fully grown.

So now we are waiting for the eggs to hatch, and the nestcam is recording so hopefully I may be able to publish some footage of the chicks on a future blog. Seven is a very big brood of youngsters to rear, requiring up to 35 voles or mice a day between them, and it's possible that not all of the eggs will hatch, but when I've ringed Barn Owl chicks on Mull in the past I have had one brood of six healthy chicks so you never know! I'll keep you informed.

Life at Loch Frisa

2011-06-13T15:14:00.009+01:00

It's a while since I've posted to the blog, although we've kept you up to date with "tweets". Skye and Frisa have had another unproductive year despite laying and incubating an egg. The 38 days incubation period came and went with no sign of food coming in and after another 3 weeks, when the eagles seemed to lose interest, we sent a licensed climber up to the nest to find out what had been going on. He found a single egg (unusual for Skye and Frisa as they normally lay two), and analysis showed that the egg had been fertile but had addled. Either they had been disturbed - unlikely with a round-the-clock watch on the nest, or the egg had chilled, or some other unknown reason.

As there was no point in focusing on the nest we decided to alter the trip slightly to give our visitors the best possible chance of seeing the eagles on one of their favourite perches. We now meet our visitors at the north end of Loch Frisa and escort them along the loch, stopping at various points along the way. The loch (Mull's largest freshwater loch) is over five miles long and the views over it are spectacular whatever the weather. We discovered that one of Skye and Frisa's favourite perches is in the wood where they started building their nest at the beginning of this year, before they returned to lay in the "Springwatch" nest. What is even more interesting is that from time to time they have been joined by a juvenile which we think is Heather, their chick from 2009!

We see them in other locations too, sometimes on the other side of the loch, and occasionally when we arrive at the hide we find them sitting in their favourite trees just opposite us. Our visitors tell us that they love the lochside drive, and we spot plenty of other wildlife too, including Golden Eagle, Hen Harrier, Red Breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver, and a single young Whooper Swan which flew in with it's parents last October and decided not to join them when they migrated this Spring. Our Sand Martin colony in the quarry behind the hide car park seems busier than ever this year, and they are a welcome sight as we know that they, and the Swallows, are helping to keep the midges under control.

This year we've been laying on activities for children during the school holidays, one of which was building a lifesize Sea Eagle nest. I expected it to take them some time to build, but all the same I collected and "pruned" two trailers full of branches, twigs, moss etc. so that they would have plenty of material. However, I could have done with at least five trailers full as the whole lot disappeared in minutes. One of the Foresters made a great framework as you can see from the photos, and everyone was delighted with the end results - so much so that some of the children decided to try the nest out for size!

The finished nest - with occupants!

When the nest was finally complete I almost expected to find an eagle sitting on it the next time I drove along the loch. I wonder what Skye and Frisa make of it?

Four seasons in two days at the hide

2011-04-12T16:21:00.004+01:00

Things are moving up a gear at Loch Frisa with only 9 days left to go before we expect our first chick to hatch. Skye and Frisa are patiently sitting it out and taking it in turns to incubate, but the recent weather must have confused them. One day we have brilliant sunshine and temperatures of 20 degrees, the next it is 6 degrees and pouring with rain. And as the weather changes so does the eagles' behaviour.

When it is wet the bird on duty is way down in the nest, huddled around the egg(s) to keep them warm and dry, and just occasionally raising its head over the edge of the nest to check all is well. On the warmer days it will sit a little higher in the nest, maybe preening from time to time and rearranging the twigs on the nest.

During the torrential rain last week there were very few changeovers, with the incubating bird patiently sitting it out for hours, but on the first day of fine weather the eagles were changing over every two or three hours.

Today was one of sunshine and showers, and during one of the sunny spells we watched Skye gently turning the eggs underneath him before settling down again to wait for his mate. Frisa, on the other hand, had enjoyed 6 hours off the nest returning just after our last trip to the hide had finished. She can be forgiven for being away for so long, since she is usually the one to stay on the nest all night.

Both birds have been bringing in grass and twigs to line the nest and keep it clean, something that they will continue to do until the chicks fledge. There has been plenty of activity from other wildlife, including a male and female Hen Harrier seen in the same area on separate occasions so we are hoping to watch a pair sky-dancing in the future.

Yesterday we were watching two Buzzards being mobbed by a Raven, when in flew Skye, then a Peregrine Falcon joined in the fray. The Raven transferred its attentions to Skye who quickly turned the tables and our last sight of them was of the Raven disappearing over the ridge hotly pursued by a very indignant Skye!

So far this week our trips have all been full, so if you are thinking of visiting the Sea Eagle hide do be sure to book a place through the booking office on 01680 812556.

Time for a Bath

2011-04-05T15:36:00.004+01:00

After yesterday's torrential rain, with more overnight, you would think our eagles had seen enough water, but no! We arrived at the hide this morning with the first trip of the day and thankfully it was dry enough for everyone to stand outside to get the best views of the eagles.

Skye was on the nest incubating those precious egg(s), and I started to tell our visitors about the history of the White-tailed Sea Eagle in the UK, whilst they scanned the sky and trees for a sign of Frisa. Suddenly a shout went up - "Eagle" - and we all watched as Frisa flew in over the trees.

At first we thought we were going to witness a changeover as she came right over the nest and she and Skye called to one another. But she kept going and suddenly dropped rapidly over the loch. I saw a group of gulls fly up as Frisa swooped, came up and swooped again, and I thought she must be trying to catch one. For a few moments she went out of sight, then someone spotted her. She wasn't sat plucking a gull as I expected, but standing in the water at the edge of the loch having a very thorough bath!

She dunked first one wing, then the other right under the water, then crouched down flapping both wings and her tail. Then she walked onto the shore and sat preening, cleaning individual feathers with her beak.

We thought she would be satisfied with her ablutions but a few minutes later she was back in the water going through the whole process again - whilst all the time the gulls mobbed her. Once again she hopped out of the water and this time she travelled further up the bank and spent at least another half hour preening, before flying back over the loch and disappearing out of sight.

It's likely that Frisa had been hunting earlier in the morning and her feathers were probably soiled with the blood and innards of whatever she had been feeding on. Birds of prey are very fastidious about keeping their feathers clean and healthy - soiled, sticky or salt-laden feathers lose their waterproofing and the bird can chill much more quickly.

One favourite component of Skye and Frisa's diet is Fulmar - a sea bird which they catch either in flight, or pluck from its perch on the cliffs. However, the Fulmar has an unpleasant but highly effective defence mechanism - it spits a disgusting mess of regurgitated fish at its adversary! This substance is very oily and can severely damage feathers, so predators are quick to clean it off.

Although the sun didn't manage to break through the low cloud today, it stayed dry until later in the afternoon and Frisa was spotted during the afternoon trip sitting in a tree with her wings spread wide. The breeze would have quickly dried off her damp feathers, ready for her to take over incubation duty from Skye.

We had a scare today when the alarm which warns us that someone is walking, cycling or driving along the track near the nest kept sounding at our watch point, yet no-one appeared at our end of the track. The worst possible thing for the eagles is for someone (or worse still a group of people) to stop on the track to watch the nest. Incubation is such a sensitive time and it doesn't take much disturbance to put the adult bird off the nest. In this cold, damp weather the egg(s) would chill within minutes, so I jumped in the van and drove down the track wondering what on earth (or who on earth) I was going to find.

The perpetrator of the crime was none other than a harmless spider! It had woven its web across the front of the sensor, and every time it crossed the beam it set off the alarm warning us that someone was in the wood. I carefully gathered up the spider and relocated him to a nearby tree, and peace reigned again. There's never a dull moment on sea eagle watch!

Back in Business at Loch Frisa

2011-04-04T15:37:00.004+01:00

Well, the last six months have flown by and, as expected, I wasn't able to keep away from Loch Frisa during that time! Skye and Frisa kept us guessing as usual, building a new nest at the North end of the loch and then ...guess what? They flew back to the "Springwatch" nest and laid their egg(s) there.

So another season starts and I am delighted to be back in post (as of today) and privileged to follow the lives of these very special birds. Our eagles are about mid-way through their 38 days of incubation and are sharing their responsibilities on the nest.

Followers of our "celebrity pair" will know that they are using the same nest they used last year, and with that comes the same problems. The nest is very close to the Forestry track which, of course, is a public footpath. So in order to protect the birds and those precious eggs "Operation Easter" has swung into action and we have brought all the necessary technology into play.

"Operation Easter" is now in its 10th year and was originally the brainchild of Finlay Christine who was at that time the island's Police Wildlife Liaison Officer. Volunteers from the island, visitors, and the Mull Bird Club organise themselves to watch Mull's White-tailed Sea Eagle nests during incubation, backed up by the police. It seems ludicrous that it should be necessary in this day and age, but these rare birds are still at risk from egg collectors, and the possibility of disturbance by greedy photographers wanting to take the ultimate picture from a position too close to the nest.

Our dedicated team of watchers guard the nests 24/7 from a safe distance, aided by CCTV and alarms to notify us when someone is walking past the nest. This year the hide will be in a different position, to the north of the nest, so visitors to the hide will be escorted in from the Dervaig end of the track.

At the moment we are using a temporary hide as we can't move the main hide past the eagles' nest whilst they are incubating eggs. We will wait around two weeks after the chick(s) hatch and then tow the hide along the track to its new position. Once the eagles have chicks to feed they won't leave them, so they will be safe whilst the hide is moved.

With the new site comes a whole host of new views of the loch and the wildlife around it. Today the weather has been appalling with strong winds and torrential rain, so the on-duty eagle has been sat tight on the nest, with just its head visible to our visitors. But we have a Raven colony on the cliffs above us so we can watch the adults bringing in food to their young, and this morning we were lucky enough to see a pair of Golden Eagles flying right above us, being harrassed by one of the Ravens.

The drive from the meeting point to the hide is a little longer than last year, but the views are spectacular and we have already seen Hen Harriers. So despite the weather my first day back has been all it promised to be, and I'm looking forward to keeping you up to date with events at Loch Frisa. Until next time.

Going out on a high

2010-09-21T15:14:00.003+01:00

Once again my final week of the season has come round and on Friday I sadly have to tear myself away from the hide - though I don't think I'll be able to stay away from Loch Frisa for long, and I can envisage at least one visit a week to check out the eagles.

It's been an odd year with no chicks for our pair to rear, and sometimes it has been a struggle to guess what they are up to, but with some extra effort on our part we have managed to keep up with them and our visitors have, as always, been thrilled at the spectacle of the fourth largest eagle in the world gracing our skies.

From the poignant days when we watched Frisa sit on her second egg day after day (78 days in all - a record for a White-tailed Sea Eagle), through the period of limbo when she left the nest and seemed to be at a loose end, the birds are now wowing our visitors with spectacular flights.

It's early days yet, but already they have taken a look at a nest for next year, though who knows which one they will choose, or whether they will build a new nest altogether? We have seen them talon-grappling over the loch, flying together, or sitting in the trees preening each other - all part of pair-bonding and a great sign that they are gearing up for next year.

We've also been treated to views of a number of juvenile Sea Eagles recently, sometimes flying with the adults. All the young birds fledged around seven weeks ago and are beginning to explore further afield - there are few territorial disputes now as we are outside the breeding season so there are no nests for the adult birds to defend. We have seen up to five Sea Eagles flying close together, and the Golden Eagles have been making plenty of appearances too. Mull has the highest density population of Golden Eagles in Europe with over 30 pairs on the island, and 2010 has been one of the most productive years for fledged chicks for a long time.

The Sand Martins and Swallows have left, great skeins of Greylag Geese are flying in to increase our already large population, Fieldfares and Redwings have been seen as well as Bewick Swans. Autumn is truly upon us.

Yesterday I had a full trip at the hide; right on cue as we arrived both birds flew in to their favourite perches in the Larch trees and settled down together. It was a typical September day on Mull, and although it had been dry and sunny a sudden squall blew through with both eagles getting drenched. Frisa moved deeper into the Larches nearer the hide whilst Skye flew into one of the Spruce trees. As the rain cleared and the sun came out again, Frisa took off and treated us to the best display I have seen all year. Leaving the Larches she flew round to the track in front of the hide. We all rushed outside and there she was, perhaps 30 feet over the car park, circling slowly on those enormous wings and looking down at us. She stayed for almost ten minutes before gradually getting higher and drifting off. One lady was in tears, saying she had waited so long to see a wild Sea Eagle, and that it had made her holiday. I was full of emotion myself, and almost wished that that had been my last day - what a wonderful way to remember the Loch Frisa Sea Eagles.

Till next year .....!

Mull Sea Eagle hide - a four star experience

2010-09-03T09:34:00.006+01:00

This year we decided to apply for Visit Scotland accreditation, and shortly after putting in our application their assessor visited the hide. Imagine our delight when a couple of weeks later we heard that we have achieved four stars! I'm told it's quite unusual to score this highly at the first application, so we're very proud - and determined to pull out all the stops and achieve the ultimate goal of five stars next year!

As usual when all the children go back to school the weather changes for the better, and this year is no exception with a week of fabulous warm, sunny days. Fortunately for us there is usually a slight breeze near the hide which stops us from becoming too hot and has the added bonus of keeping the midges at bay! The eagles have been performing well this week too, with plenty of great views of Skye and Frisa soaring overhead and enjoying the thermals. Normally birds of prey tend to fly when they need to hunt, and spend the rest of the time just sitting, digesting their last meal and conserving energy since they don't know where the next meal is coming from. But on a lovely warm day, when the hot air currents mean the birds don't need to flap their wings in flight, I am sure that our eagles fly just for the sheer joy of it. They find a thermal and just sit on it with their wings outstretched, circling higher and higher, almost like they are on a lift, then glide across the sky. It is a joy to watch them. I was once lucky enough to go up in a glider and fly with a colony of Griffon Vultures in South Africa - the nearest thing to flying like a bird I'll ever experience. Every time I see Skye and Frisa fly I envy their freedom and am in awe of the way they can drift across the sky so effortlessly.

Life at Loch Frisa

2010-08-23T16:36:00.006+01:00

They may not have chicks this year, but Skye and Frisa are keeping us on our toes. With no young to rear they have had plenty of time to themselves and have found several new places to roost, and although they are still up and down the loch we are never quite sure where they are going to be. This is an added bonus for our visitors as they are often taken on an extra journey to different viewpoints, and as a result we have been treated to rare sightings of other special wildlife too!

One favourite place overlooks the loch from a high vantage point, and we have had the occasional view of Black-throated Divers (although we usually hear their mournful call before we see them). Red-throated Divers have also been seen, and these stunning birds have been venturing closer to the head of the loch near to the hide.

Our Buzzard chick fledged successfully and is seen daily. Occasionally the female leaves a piece of food on the nest to give him a helping hand, but generally he is managing to hunt well for himself, still favouring frogs. He is easily recognised by his juvenile plumage, and by the fact that he has inherited his father's tail - two ginger feathers in the middle of the other brown ones. In today's torrential rain he was hoping the worms would come to the surface and was running around on the ground and pouncing every so often. He calls frequently - probably reminding his parents that he is still there - and he has turned into quite a character, very popular with our visitors. Sometimes we see all three Buzzards flying together.

All the other Sea Eagle chicks on the island have fledged now - of our ten pairs eight were successful and produced a total of ten healthy fledglings between them. Although they have all left their nests, they are still in the vicinity, and there have been some great views of the chicks sitting with their parents. Two more chicks have been satellite tagged this year so you will soon be able to follow them on the RSPB website when they start to venture further afield.

Skye and Frisa may not have a family this year, but they are reinforcing their pair bond as we often see them sat side by side on the same branch, and recently they were perched with their necks entwined (more like a pair of swans!). As they are not defending a breeding territory now their daughter from last year, Heather, has decided it is safe to return to roost with her parents and we sometimes see all three of them sat together. Her beak is almost the same bright yellow as the adults' now, although it will be three or four years before she gets her full white tail.

Our large flock of Siskins have fledged all their young and left the area now, although the Chaffinches are still going strong. The Redpoll family are still visiting the feeders, and both the Pied and Grey Wagtails nested in the quarry by the hide car park. The Sandmartin colony has been constantly busy with the first brood fledged and the second brood still to go, all of which has been captured on our camera showing live footage in the hide.

So there is plenty to see on Loch Frisa, and if you are thinking of visiting Mull in the next month or two, do come and see us at the hide.

Skye and Frisa settled again

2010-06-14T13:42:00.005+01:00

At last Skye and Frisa are back into a routine, albeit a strange one for them. After my last blog Frisa returned to the nest and sat for 78 days in total, but then left it altogether and the birds went through a period of limbo when they didn't seem to know what to do. They would sit in their favourite tree together, then disappear for a couple of days at a time which is most unusual for them. Thankfully now they are back and we are getting great views of them, especially since we have a very powerful camera which we can pan around the landscape and home in on wherever our eagles are sitting, with the live pictures showing on our screen in the hide. Of course we have our telescopes as well, but the camera is over twice as powerful as our strongest scope so the images we get are fantastic. Sometimes we don't need binoculars, scopes or the camera; one day last week Skye left his perch and flew towards us and straight past the hide with great deep wing beats - obviously on a mission. It was a beautiful warm day with bright sun which highlighted his white tail, leaving our visitors speechless.

It is great to see them back, although it must be very odd for them to have no chicks to care for. They are both moulting heavily; they sit in the trees preening, then every so often give a shake of their wings and a huge cloud of tiny white body feathers appears like snow, and the trees look as if they are covered in little white flowers. They are spending a lot of time sitting together, maybe reassuring one another; one day they sat with their heads entwined in the way that swans do, and they often call to each other. With no hard work this year feeding hungry chicks, Skye and Frisa should be fighting fit by next year's breeding season, and they are both still in their prime.

Just an update on our Buzzard nest: egg number two failed to hatch, but the first chick is thriving. Now three weeks old it seems impossible that it could have come out of an egg the size of the unhatched one it is sitting next to. Both parent birds are bringing in food for the chick, ranging from vole to rabbit with plenty of frogs and slow worm in between. The female will not tolerate the male bird on the nest and grabs the food from him before chasing him off. It has been known for male raptors to eat their own chicks (possibly confusing them with other food left on the nest) so our female isn't taking any chances. Our visitors have been transfixed watching the female tenderly feeding her chick, but now as it grows the chick is greedily grabbing food from her almost before she can tear it up. She is busily bringing in greenery to line the nest and keep it as clean as possible, but already the chick manouevres himself to the edge of the nest to evacuate himself, so the nest actually looks cleaner than many I have seen.

So all's well at Loch Frisa, and if the weather stays as beautiful as it has been, our visitors can look forward to a fabulous trip.

Bouncing Buzzard Baby!

2010-05-25T16:40:00.004+01:00

After all the disappointment of our Sea Eagles' nest failing this year we've been hoping for some good news from our Buzzard nest. Yesterday we arrived at the hide and turned on the camera just in time to see the female showing off her first chick. The tiny, white ball of fluff must have hatched on Sunday and, thanks to "Buzzard-cam", we were able to share the happy event with our visitors. During the morning "mum" left the nest briefly and re-appeared with a Slow Worm which she proceeded to tear into minute pieces to feed to her chick. It was a little hit and miss to begin with as the new mum struggled to aim the morsels of food at the wobbly chick, but after a short time they got it right and the wee one greedily grabbed at the food until it had had enough. It was a little disconcerting to see the slow worm still wiggling, but mum was not put off and finished off what was left. Later in the day she brought in another Slow Worm - she must have found them easily available as she was only away from the nest for a couple of minutes.

The second egg is still to hatch, but as there was a four-day gap between the eggs being laid we are not expecting to see chick number two until at least Thursday. Today rabbit was on the menu, so it looks as though the male Buzzard has finally come into his own and started hunting to feed his offspring. To date he has not been a very attentive partner, leaving the female sitting on the nest for hours on end, then coming to relieve her for around five minutes before disappearing again. We have often seen him hunting near the hide whilst the female can be seen on screen calling for him to take over from her. The emphasis on sharing the incubation is very different to Sea Eagle behaviour, where Skye and Frisa have always taken equal turns at sitting on their eggs. It will be interesting to see how hard our male Buzzard works to feed his family, although for the time being it is up to him to bring in the bulk of the food as the chicks will need brooding for two or three weeks until they can control their own body temperature. On the day our first chick hatched the weather was dry and very warm, so we are hoping that the weather stays favourable - we don't want a repeat of the night that Skye and Frisa's chick hatched!

Speaking of our Sea Eagles, they have finally given up incubating their remaining egg (almost!). Skye lost interest about two weeks ago, but poor Frisa's instinct was so strong that she remained on the nest for 75 days (compared to the normal 38 days' incubation time). Even yesterday she spent some time sitting on the nest - it must be so hard for her to see an egg in her nest and have to fight the instinct to incubate it. Today the weather was fine and Loch Frisa looked beautiful, and it was such a relief to see Skye and Frisa sat side by side in their favourite tree. They have been very vocal, throwing their heads back and calling time and time again - it's amazing how far that call carries. They are both moulting now and are busy preening out all the loose feathers. Every so often they have a little shake and clouds of wispy white body feathers decorate the branches around them.

Even though their nest has failed, Skye and Frisa are still giving us great views. Loch Frisa is their territory and they will always return here after they have been hunting, so whilst we can't show off their chicks this year, there are plenty of opportunities for our visitors to see them perched or in flight.

Still waiting

2010-05-05T16:12:00.005+01:00

Although it is way past time for Skye and Frisa's remaining egg to hatch, they are still incubating, taking it in turns to sit on the nest whatever the weather. There is an outside chance that they might have recycled and laid another egg, but this is so rare it is really clutching at straws. It is more likely that the eagles just aren't quite ready to give up yet, but sooner or later they will lose interest in the remaining egg that hasn't hatched, and go back to normal everyday life. I think this is beginning to happen now as the off-duty bird seems to be spending longer and longer away from the nest, rather than being on hand to relieve the bird that is sitting.

Once they have given up we will start to see more of them again, sitting in their favourite perch trees preening, and hunting for prey. Frisa has already started to moult - we have watched her pulling at a wing feather that was sticking up at a strange angle, but wasn't quite ready to come out.

Our Buzzard-cam is as popular as ever, with the female appearing to do most of the incubating. She calls when she has had enough and usually the male returns to take over, although yesterday he was hunting over the hill opposite the nest and ignored her calls before returning to the nest for five minutes. When he took off again his mate came back immediately, but was obviously not happy and took out her frustration on a twig in the nest.

The farmer who lives further along the track told us that he often sees Barn Owls hunting the fields close to the hide, so we have now put up a nest barrel in an isolated tree. We are planning to put a camera in the barrel next week, so hopefully we will be able to watch a Barn Owl family later in the season! Barn Owls do well on Mull - I monitor them and ring the chicks and in a year when there is a good population of Short-tailed Field Voles on the island we can have around 25 nesting pairs. There is plenty of excellent habitat, not too much fast traffic and usually a good food supply. Their only real problem is a lack of nest sites - Barn Owls like to nest in isolated hollow trees or old barns. There is at least one pair nesting in a cleft in a cliff face, but we also have a number of nestboxes and nest barrels fixed onto trees, and these are proving popular with the owls.

Next week is Mull and Iona Wildlife Week, so the island will be busy. We're expecting plenty of visitors to the hide and there are other events planned all around the island.

Disappointing news at Loch Frisa

2010-04-29T16:12:00.003+01:00

I've been putting off writing this blog in the hope that I might have some good news, but it seems almost certain now that Skye and Frisa's nest has failed this year. After the excitement when it seemed that the first egg had hatched and we thought we had witnessed the adults feeding a chick, it looks likely that that chick was too weak to survive. When Skye and Frisa went back to sitting tight on the nest we hoped that a second egg might produce a stronger chick, but it was not to be.

Although both adult birds are still taking turns at sitting on the nest, too many days have gone by now for anything to hatch, and the adults don't seem to have the same enthusiasm for their nest duties as they did earlier on. It's easy to give Skye and Frisa human feelings and say they look miserable, but it must be hard for them, having gone through all the motions of pair-bonding, displaying, mating, egg-laying and incubating, to end up with no chicks to rear.

This morning I drove along the loch to check the birds; Skye was sat in their favourite tree and Frisa was still on the nest, but she was looking all around her, preening and shuffling about. It's likely that they could continue to incubate for two weeks or more but as time goes on they will be less conscientious about sitting tight and eventually they will give up.

Today has been such a beautiful day I've been unable to dwell for too long on the disappointments at the nest. The Raven colony was as active as ever, and the Red-breasted Mergansers were displaying to each other. This afternoon I was talking to some visitors at the hide whilst watching Frisa sitting in the lochside tree. Three Common Gulls flew over and began relentlessly mobbing her, diving at her again and again. Occasionally she ducked, mostly she just shrugged her shoulders and ignored them. After fifteen minutes the gulls bored of the sport and flew back to their favourite roost on the headland opposite the hide. Frisa sat for ten minutes and then took off, flying low over the loch. Just as the gulls flew up in alarm we realised what she was planning, and sure enough she dived down. Unfortunately she was just out of sight, but the gulls began mobbing again, so it was clear that she had caught one of them and taught the rest of them not to mess with a Sea Eagle. Maybe it helped her to take out her frustrations on her tormentors.

There may not be Sea Eagle chicks at Loch Frisa this year but life will go on as usual at the hide - there's plenty of wildlife to see and Skye and Frisa will still be around the loch giving us great views. If you are planning to come to the hide this year, please don't be put off - we have lots to share with you. The other nine pairs of Sea Eagles on Mull are all in the midst of the breeding season, and I will keep you up to date with what has been going on with them, as well as updating you on our Buzzard-cam, and hopefully a few surprises too.

Good news and not so good!

2010-04-22T10:50:00.003+01:00

Well, the weather this week has been up and down, with one fine day followed by a bad one. At the worst we had hail, sleet, heavy rain and strong winds in freezing temperatures, at best clear blue skies and sunshine (but still quite cold).

The activity at Skye and Frisa's nest hasn't been as we expected, and we are very concerned that we have lost a chick. From that first feeding we witnessed at the beginning of the week we have seen no more food come in, so it does look as if the first chick has perished. The adults are still sitting tight though, so it seems that they are still incubating the second egg and we are keeping everything crossed that it hatches and thrives.

Sometimes a glitch early in incubation (perhaps when the changeover takes a little too long) can result in the egg chilling, resulting in a weak chick exhausted by the effort of hatching and unable to feed well. Or it could be that the awful weather just after the chick hatched took its toll - even though the adults continued incubating. In fact on one changeover in the rain we witnessed both adults holding their wings like an umbrella over the nest whilst one stepped off and the other settled down to incubate.

We won't know for a day or two whether chick number two has hatched safely. The eggs are normally laid on alternate days with the adults incubating from day one; however, in bad weather there can be a much larger gap between eggs, so we are still hopeful.

The good news is that our Buzzard cam is giving us some wonderful views and there are now two beautiful pale blue eggs on the nest, with the possibility of more to come. The female is very attentive to her duties, standing up from time to time to turn the eggs before settling down again and tucking them under her feathers. On one of the warmer days with the sunlight streaming through the trees we watched her nodding off before tucking her head under her wing and enjoying a snooze.

The male is playing his part too and from time to time brings in greenery to help line the nest. On one occasion he flew in, dropped some grass on top of the female's head and flew off again. She looked very suprised, and none too pleased!

Now that the eagles have gone back to incubating, the off-duty bird is often back perching in their favourite tree, and we have had some fantastic displays of flying. Yesterday Frisa took off and began soaring right above the hide, getting higher and higher without a single wing beat, before drifting off to search for food.

Hopefully I'll be able to bring you some more positive news with my next posting - if only the weather would improve!

The patter of tiny talons!

2010-04-19T21:21:00.005+01:00

What a day! On arrival at the hide today Chris, our technological genius, told us that he had been working yesterday on our camera setup and was viewing our Buzzard cam. Both adults had been adding to the nest and the female shuffled around, sat down and then shuffled again. As Chris watched she produced an egg right on camera! So after last year's disappointment when she built up the same nest and then decided to raise her family in another one, this year we have the camera in the right place - as long as she doesn't add too many sticks in front of the camera! Hopefully there will be another egg tomorrow afternoon, and maybe more to come. I'll keep you posted.

The even better news is that Chris thinks we will be able to continue watching Buzz-cam even when we have moved the hide several hundred metres to its new site, so we hope to follow the Buzzard family right through to fledging. The wonders of technology, and all solar-powered!

And to the best news of all - this afternoon we saw the first food being brought into Skye and Frisa's nest, meaning that at least one chick has hatched. Both adult birds stood in or on the rim of the nest feeding their chick(s) for at least half an hour, making us think there may be two chicks there already. Now the hard work begins for the parents. This evening there were two or three very heavy rain showers and with the cold wind the precious chick(s) needed brooding very closely by the adult, whilst the other bird kept watch from its perch in a nearby tree. The forecast is a little better for the next two days - the chicks are so vulnerable at this early age when they are not able to regulate their body temperature.

In two or three weeks Skye and Frisa will be settled with their new family and we will be able to move the hide along the track to its new position so that we will have an excellent view of the nest. Our high powered camera will also move so that we can beam live pictures into the hide as well as recording them. In the meantime we will still have excellent views of the adult birds hunting from our current position, and they will be more active than ever as they will need to find foods for the chicks and for themselves.

If you are planning to visit the hide in May, please do check where the meeting point is when you book your visit. If you can't make it this year, keep reading and I'll let you know how our Sea Eagle family progresses, not to mention our Buzzards.

Exciting times!

2010-04-15T13:20:00.005+01:00

Another beautiful day at the hide - what a week it has been! With clear blue skies and thermals rising, Skye and Frisa have been giving us some fantastic displays. On Tuesday Frisa drifted over the top of the hide, caught a thermal and spiralled up and up until she was no more than a dot in the sky, with never a wing beat. It must have been wonderful for her to stretch her wings after a long spell on the nest.

Talking of the nest, we are all on tenterhooks as we wait for the egg(s) to hatch. Today is day 36 of an average 38 days of incubation and the birds have been quite fidgety on the nest, which is a possible sign that a chick is getting ready to hatch. It can take 36 hours from the time the egg first pips to the time the chick hatches, but even before it pips the adult birds can hear the chick calling inside the egg and will sometimes call softly back to it to encourage it to start to break out. The chick develops with an "egg tooth" - a tiny sharp bit on the top of the beak which it uses to tap away at the shell from inside until it breaks. It then works its way right round the egg until the top falls off and it can struggle out - damp and bedraggled and small enough to fit into a human hand. It's tiring work, but the adult bird will keep encouraging it with gentle calls.

The chick hatches with the remains of the "yolk sac" inside it and spends up to the first 12 hours of its life outside the egg absorbing the sac and all the goodness within it. Then it will start to call for food and that's when the adults' hard work really starts. To begin with one adult will continue to brood the chick (and the remaining egg if there were two), whilst the other hunts and brings food back to the nest. Then the adult will stand over the chick with its talons bent underneath its feet to avoid standing on the chick, and will tear tiny strips of food from the prey with its beak which it offers to the gaping chick. It is the most amazing thing to see - such an enormous bird caring so tenderly for its young. By day four the chick's egg tooth will have disappeared, it will have dried out and be covered in pale grey down. The adults will continue to brood the chick(s) for two to three weeks while their adult body feathers are coming through and they are less susceptible to the cold, but if the weather turns cold and wet the adult birds will make sure that the chicks are kept warm.

Both adults hunt to feed the chicks, taking turns at feeding, brooding or just perching close by "on guard". By the time the chicks are ringed at around eight weeks old they are fully grown and spend the last three or four weeks in the nest growing down their flight feathers and practising wing flapping exercises ready for their first flight. It is an incredible growth rate. As with most birds of prey, female sea eagles are larger than the males, and it was strange to see last year's female chick, Heather, perched next to her father and looking down on him when she was only three months old.

As yet we don't know whether we have one or two eggs, so we will be watching with bated breath over the next few days to see how many little heads pop up in the nest. As the eggs are laid two or more days apart, there is an equivalent gap in their hatching, so we probably won't know until this time next week how many chicks we have. Watch this space!

If you read my last blog about Operation Easter, I can give you an update on our oldest pair of sea eagles on the island. Their first chick hatched on Monday, so we are waiting now to see whether they are feeding one or two chicks. It really is amazing to see how this pair keep going - last weekend there was a major grass fire just half a mile from where they are nesting, yet despite the activity with three fire engines and their crews working hard to put out the fire, the birds kept calm and stayed put. I've been privileged enough to watch this pair for over 10 years now, so have become very attached to them.

Fingers crossed for Skye and Frisa and their offspring - I'll keep you informed.

Operation Easter

2010-04-09T14:53:00.004+01:00

After the amazing day I described in my last blog the weather hasn't been quite as good and things have been a little quieter. We can't complain as we are still seeing at least one of our eagles at each of our trips, and there's plenty happening on our Buzzard-cam at the moment with the nest growing every time we look at it. It's fascinating to see the bird carefully weaving grass and twigs into the nest until it looks just right!

The hide (and the island) has been very busy this week with the Easter holidays - all the more reason for us to keep up our vigilance whilst the Sea Eagles are on eggs. For eleven years now the island has run a nestwatch 24 hours a day for our most vulnerable pairs, masterminded by Strathclyde Police. The birds are highly protected by the Wildlife & Countryside Act, but there are still people who ignore the law.

The police had bright yellow signs printed asking members of the public to contact them should they see anything suspicious, and these are positioned all around the island. The watch is carried out voluntarily by islanders supported by the police, RSPB, Mull Bird Club and other enthusiastic volunteers. Over the Easter weekend we were supported by a large group of Air Cadets who camped out in bitterly cold weather to help with the watch. We are also very lucky to have a full-time Police Wildlife Crime Officer on the island who is constantly on call.

You might wonder why we need to go to these lengths, but even in this day and age we still have problems with would-be egg collectors, and people wanting to get close to take photographs. Since we have been running the watch we have only lost eggs once, although sadly these were in two days of hatching when they were stolen. Two years ago, however, a photographer was caught underneath a Sea Eagle nest. Although the police were on site within 20 minutes of receiving the call, the female had already left the nest. It was only the second day of incubation and it took almost two hours before the eagle was confident enough to return to her nest, so the eggs chilled. Of course the eagle went back to incubating her eggs and sat on them for over 60 days (although the normal incubation time is 38 days). It was heartbreaking to watch her sitting on the nest day after day. The photographer was fined and had his photographic equipment confiscated, but of course the damage had been done. Without Operation Easter this could happen again and again and we are so grateful to everyone who takes part and helps to protect our precious Sea Eagles.

To end on a brighter note, the same pair went on to build a new nest the following year and successfully reared two healthy chicks. This was quite amazing as the birds are our oldest pair on the island, from the original birds brought over from Norway and released on the Isle of Rum. The female is now over 30 and she and her mate are incubating eggs again this year - quite incredible.

Next week I'll report back on Skye and Frisa as we start the countdown to their eggs hatching. It's an exciting time!

Raptors, raptors everywhere!

2010-04-07T16:54:00.005+01:00

What a day! With the Easter holidays upon us, trips to the hide are really busy this week and today both sessions were almost full. It has been a beautiful day - warm sunshine, blue skies with puffy white clouds, and Loch Frisa looking like a sheet of glass.

When we arrived with our visitors for the morning trip Frisa was obligingly sat in the favoured "off-duty" tree whilst Skye incubated their eggs, sitting well down in the nest cup to keep those precious eggs safe and warm. Everyone had a great view of Frisa through the scopes and this season we also have a fantastic live camera set up which we can pan round to home in on the birds and then show on our screen in the hide.

Frisa stayed put, preening and stretching until we had finished our introductory talk, then took off and after circling above the nest wood she turned and headed towards the hide. We all rushed outside and had wonderful views of her flying right above us before she began circling higher and higher using the thermals to help her. As if that wasn't enough a call went up to point out another bird to the south which proved to be a Golden Eagle. With both birds in the sky it was easy to see the difference between the two species - the huge broad wings of the Sea Eagle (hence the description coined by a crofter on Fair Isle many years ago - a "flying barn door"). The Sea Eagle's flat wing profile, large head with an enormous yellow beak and the short, wedge-shaped white tail contrasted with the shallow v-shaped profile of the Golden Eagle with its narrower wings. The Golden Eagle flies with its finger-shaped wing tips upturned. Its tail is longer and more square than the Sea Eagle, and its head is smaller and appears hunched back into its shoulders when it is flying.

As if this wasn't enough, a pair of Common Buzzards joined in the display. So many of our visitors ask us how to tell the difference between eagles and buzzards, and here we were with the perfect opportunity to see it - the buzzards smaller with a much more pronounced v-shaped profile, and thermaling in tighter circles above us.

Eventually all the birds drifted off in different directions but the display wasn't over. A male Sparrowhawk (which regularly comes in to try its luck with the birds on our feeders) began circling overhead, mobbed by Hooded Crows. The local Ravens flew over their nest crag, diving on each other and displaying.

And finally, our Buzzard-cam came into its own! Last year we had a camera set up viewing a Buzzard's nest. A pair of Buzzards added twigs and grass to it throughout the spring but then moved to another nest to rear their family. We decided to leave the camera in place this year and every morning more material has been added to the nest - but we never saw it happening. Then today we checked the monitor and there was the female, carefully weaving grass into the nest. It was fascinating to watch her on the big screen.

Our visitors were amazed; so much activity in the space of two hours! And our afternoon group were not disappointed either, with Frisa, the Buzzards and the Sparrowhawk putting in repeat performances. Raptorphile heaven!

It's great to be back!

2010-04-02T14:28:00.005+01:00

I'm delighted to say I'm back after six months away from Loch Frisa - although I have to say that I couldn't stay away completely and had to pop back from time to time to see how Skye and Frisa were doing!

The hide is now open again all week, and this year our White-tailed Sea Eagles have chosen one of their old nests. They are just over half-way through incubation, and as ever are being model parents. As one bird leaves the nest the other takes over immediately and we can often hear them call to each other when it is time for a changeover.

The weather this week has been changeable to say the least; as the clocks went forward last weekend we all thought Spring had truly sprung. How wrong we were! On Wednesday temperatures plummeted and we were treated to a day of blizzards, sleet, hail and strong winds. We had to cancel trips to the hide as the track was too slippery to drive along, but by the afternoon the snow was beginning to thaw and on Thursday the weather was improving (although still bitterly cold).

It is always a worrying time when the weather changes for the worst whilst the eagles are incubating eggs. The sitting adult needs a break from incubation from time to time, whether to go hunting or to stretch their wings and legs, but the changeover needs to be rapid to avoid the eggs chilling.

Two years ago another pair of Mull's Sea Eagles were disturbed by a photographer who stood under their nest to try to take the ultimate photograph. The female eagle was sitting on the nest at the time, on the first day of incubation. She was frightened off the nest and was away for long enough for her eggs to chill and die. Of course, she could not be sure that the eggs weren't viable, and the pair went on to incubate for over 60 days (when the normal incubation time is around 38 days). It was heartbreaking to watch them sit there day after day long after the date when their eggs should have hatched.

Fortunately our excellent "Operation Easter" Scheme (of which more later) meant that the photographer was arrested, charged with reckless disturbance, fined and had all his photographic equipment confiscated. Last year the birds built a new nest and successfully reared two healthy chicks, and they are incubating eggs again this year - not bad for a pair of birds over 30 years old. We would normally expect them to stop breeding in their early to mid twenties.

The weather today is beautiful; one of those clear, crisp days with blue skies and brilliant sunshine that make you glad to be alive. Our eagles must think so too, as at the 10 a.m. changeover Frisa (our female) stretched her wings and, after checking that Skye was safely settled on their precious eggs, flew off into the sunshine to find her breakfast.

Just to convince us that Spring really must have arrived, our Sandmartins have arrived back from Africa and are already checking out last year's nest holes in the old quarry wall at the rear of our visitors' car park by the hide. Lapwings are flying across the fields in front of the hide and our feeders are a constant hive of activity with chaffinches and siskins squabbling over the feeders and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker coming in to the peanut feeder.

At present our hide is in the same position as last year and we are not able to see the nest, although we have excellent views of the "off-duty" bird sitting in their favourite perch just opposite the hide. We can't risk moving the hide at this sensitive time whilst the birds are still incubating, but as soon as those eggs have hatched the hide will be moved into position and we are promised excellent views of the nest, chicks and adults. 2010 is destined to be an exciting year for us, for Skye and Frisa, and for our visitors. Do come to see us if you can.

Bill Bailey's birdwatching bonanza

2010-01-11T14:22:00.001Z

Mull's sea eagles are featured in a forthcoming episode of comedian Bill Bailey's new show on Sky 1. Mull is the venue for some of the show's birdwatching challenges, including tracking down a sea eagle at Loch Frisa.

Bill is quoted as saying "I've always had a passion for wildlife and birds in particular, so I relished this opportunity to camp out in some lovely corners of Britain and spot some beautiful birds. Hopefully this show will encourage more people to celebrate our extraordinarily diverse birdlife, while at the same time enjoying the great British countryside."

The Mull episode features journalist Donal Macintyre and TV presenter Jayne Middlemiss undertaking a series of challenges to spot and photograph several birds, including hooded crows.

More details on the show at http://sky1.sky.com/bill-baileys-birdwatching-bonanza.

Good luck Skye, Frisa and Heather

2009-09-23T17:40:00.006+01:00

Well, this is my last blog for the time being as I finish as the eagle hide lead ranger on Friday. The time has gone so quickly, and it has been such a privilege to watch Skye and Frisa from nest building through to fledging this year's chick. I feel I know them personally and will not be able to keep away for long. I have been working with and studying raptors for many years now, but I think this year has been one of the most rewarding jobs I have had, even taking into account the tragedy of losing Bracken. How many people get to work at the only White-tailed Sea Eagle viewing hide in the world, set in beautiful surroundings, and have the chance to share their enthusiasm with visitors to the hide?

All three eagles are still in the area and being seen regularly, and the hide will continue to open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the time being. The trips will be at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and will last two hours. Booking will continue to be through the Visit Scotland office in Craignure - the 'phone number is 01680 812556.

Skye, Frisa and Heather have had plenty of carrion to feed on recently, with a dead sheep on the hill, and now that the deer cull is in full swing there are grallochs to eat. Each year the deer stalkers, working with the Deer Commission, need to cull a certain number of red deer on the island. They begin by stalking the stags during the autumn, and move onto the hinds later in the year. The cull is necessary as too many deer would result in some of them starving to death. The elderly or weak deer are taken out, leaving fit and healthy beasts to carry on their line. After a successful stalk when the animal has been shot, the stalker removes the intestines (or gralloch) before taking the deer off the hill. The gralloch is left out for birds of prey to feed on, and often the sound of a gunshot at this time of year will attract a sea eagle to the area as the bird associates the noise with the possibility of food. If you are walking on the hill do look out for notices telling you that stalking is in progress in an area. Not only could you be putting yourself at risk, but you could also inadvertently ruin a stalk which may have taken hours to set up, quite apart from doing a sea eagle out of a meal!

During the winter months it is more difficult for all birds of prey to find food, and a gralloch could mean the difference between starvation or a full crop. For this year's young birds, if they can get through their first winter they stand a good chance of surviving so that they, too, can breed in the future.

Before I sign off I thought I would give you an update on Mull's sea eagle population - the ten pairs on the island managed to fledge ten chicks between them this year. If only Bracken had survived we would have had eleven which would have been a record for Mull! Across Scotland, the total UK population of 45 pairs of White-tailed Sea Eagles fledged 36 chicks. As the young birds from the East of Scotland releases begin to mature they will spread out and begin to breed with the West coast birds - we have already had three of the Tayside birds on Mull! There are also plans to release Sea Eagle chicks into Norfolk and Wales, so one day we may see them back across the countryside where they used to be seen regularly before they were persecuted to extinction.

One of the greatest success stories for Mull's sea eagles this year concerns our oldest pair. These birds were part of the original release scheme on Rum in the 1970s and 1980s. The female is now 30 years old, and the male 28. They have been breeding on the island for many years and have reared over 30 chicks. Last year they were disturbed at the nest by a greedy photographer who wanted the ultimate photograph. The female had only started incubating her eggs on the previous day, and the sight of the photographer under her nest was more than enough to cause her to fly off. Although the photographer was arrested, having been spotted by one of the volunteers who watch our sea eagle nests for 24 hours a day during the breeding season, the bird was off the nest for around 90 minutes - long enough for the eggs to chill on a cold March day. Of course the bird returned to her nest and continued to incubate the useless eggs for 46 days (the normal incubation time is 38 days). It was heartbreaking for those of us watching her. But for once the story has a happy ending. This year the pair built a new nest in a very inaccessible place and managed to rear and fledge two healthy chicks. This would have been amazing for most sea eagles, but for a pair of birds already considered beyond their breeding age, it was nothing short of a miracle. And the photographer? He was arrested, charged with reckless disturbance, fined £600 and had all his photographs and camera equipment confiscated. Hopefully the resultant publicity will have put off other people tempted to try to get that little bit closer than anyone else.

So thank you for reading this blog; if you visited the eagle hide it was a pleasure to meet you, and if you didn't please try to come next year - I can promise you an amazing experience.

Goodbye for now,

Sue

Sea Eagle photograph copyright Iain Erskine, Stalking photograph copyright Steve Irvine

Playing Hard to Get?

2009-09-18T14:23:00.003+01:00

This week the Sea Eagles have really made us work hard. As Heather, their chick, gets braver they are all venturing further afield, although they always come back to the loch to roost. We have been arriving at the hide earlier each day so that we can locate at least one of the birds before we collect our visitors.

Today was the most unusual roost of all. We had driven right along the loch to try to find them, prepared to lead a small convoy of visitors to spot the birds. We drew a complete blank. They weren't at any of their favourite roosts, nor did we see them flying or indulging in one of their favourite pastimes of drinking and bathing at the edge of the loch. We set up our screen and DVD player (powered by solar panels - thank goodness it has been sunny recently) so that we could at least show our visitors some footage of the eagles, and set off to collect them and escort them to the hide.

On the way we stopped at the top of the hill (the only place we can get a 'phone signal) to call in to the booking office and check if we had any more bookings for the trip. Whilst my colleague, Debby, was making the call I noticed a number of Ravens and Hooded Crows circling and diving right on the horizon. I grabbed my binoculars and scanned the hill. There was certainly plenty of activity from the Ravens and Crows, as well several stags right on the horizon and more lower down on the hill. As I scanned lower down the hill, looking for some carrion that might have attracted the birds, something caught my eye. There, at the top of one of the Sitka Spruces, were our two adult eagles, quite happily perched one above the other. This pair have such a firm bond, and most of the time when we see them perched together they are in the same tree, sometimes on the same branch.

We set up the scope and all our visitors had a great view of Frisa at the top of the tree, and Skye slightly lower down. As we watched, Frisa looked up high above her and then took off. Whilst everyone else watched to see where she went, I scanned the area she was looking at and sure enough, there was Heather, their chick. Shortly afterwards Skye took off too. They were flying so high that we were afraid that that was the last we would see of them.

The party carried on down to the hide, we started our introductory talk whilst scanning the area, and there, sitting in one of his favourite trees opposite the hide, was Skye. He stayed there all morning, preening the last of his moulting body feathers, sometimes turning and stretching his great wings almost as if he was posing for us.

Our visitors were delighted - what more could they ask for?

Raptor Bonanza

2009-09-10T15:45:00.003+01:00

After days of torrential rain and strong winds the weather has finally changed and it seems that all the wildlife is celebrating.

When I arrived at the hide this morning Skye was sat in the trees opposite, preening himself and looking very relaxed. He waited there until our visitors had all had a really good look at him through our scope.

We went outside for a better view and there were Frisa and her daughter Heather, circling high above us. What a relief! We hadn't seen Heather for a few days and were wondering where she was and if she was OK. The chicks are usually seen with the parent birds at this stage, with food still being brought to them and the adults taking them on hunting trips. But today it seemed that that was exactly what was happening. The two birds circled higher and higher before heading off across the loch in the direction of Calgary. Hopefully Frisa was going to teach her chick how to hunt for their favourite meal - the Fulmars that the adults take from the cliffs. Whatever their plan, they disappeared over the horizon and had not returned in time for our afternoon trip.

Skye, possibly disgruntled by the fact that all eyes were on Frisa and Heather, took off from his perch and flew across to his favourite Larch tree, giving us a close view of his short white tail, huge beak and enormous broad wings. He settled down to preen again.

One of our visitors spotted a little flock of Crossbills at the top of the trees closest to the hide and as we tried to train the scope on them a beautiful Golden Eagle drifted across the treetops. Not to be outdone, the local Sparrowhawk put in a brief appearance in front of the hide, scattering all the songbirds far and wide. Young Buzzards seemed to be everywhere, as did the Ravens, and as a fitting finale a Peregrine Falcon flew over the old nest tree. And all the time the sun shone!

I really can't believe I only have two weeks to go at the hide. It has been such a privilege to witness a whole season with Skye and Frisa - from nest building, through egg laying and incubation, hatching and finally fledging. I've become quite attached to "our" birds and it was desperately sad to discover that our male chick, Bracken, had died after falling from the nest. But that's nature, and Heather is fit and well and receiving her parents' undivided attention. Maybe I can come back to the hide next year?

Floods, feathers and fledglings

2009-09-04T10:28:00.006+01:00

The weather here for the last couple of weeks has been dreich to say the least, with burns in full spate and waterfalls thundering over the rocks. Most of the views of our eagle family have been of very soggy birds sat in the trees and preening, and Heather, our chick, has been out of sight for most of the time. Eagles (like all birds of prey) have a preen gland at the base of their tail; when they preen their flight feathers they take oil from the preen gland with their beak and then run it down the feathers. This helps with their weatherproofing and keeps their feathers strong and healthy. It will take a while for Heather to build up this weatherproofing so sensibly, when the weather is very bad, she finds a perch deeper in the forestry to keep her out of the rain.

Yesterday the rain was sporadic and we actually had spells of blue sky and sunshine! When I arrived in the morning both of the adults were sat up on adjacent fence posts on the way up to the hide. They looked a little bedraggled, and when I went to collect our visitors it was raining again so I fully expected them to go and look for cover. Nevertheless we stopped and there they were. The sky cleared, I put up the scope and 19 happy visitors had perfect views of Skye and Frisa. We spent an hour there, talking about sea eagles and the problems they had had to contend with over the last three centuries culminating in their extinction and the successful reintroduction programme.

This year on Mull our eagles have fledged ten healthy chicks, with 36 chicks fledged across the whole of Scotland (including ours). The Scottish population now stands at 45 breeding pairs, plus a large number of juveniles too young to breed yet.
Skye and Frisa then decided it was time to catch some lunch and both left their perches and flew off towards Calgary - probably after another Fulmar or two from the cliffs there. They hadn't reappeared by the time I collected the next group of visitors at 1pm, and I was a little concerned that we'd seen the last of them for the day. But as I started telling the group about the Eagle Watch project there was a gasp as Skye flew in to his favourite Larch tree. A minute later Frisa appeared and circled round in front of the hide before joining her mate on the same branch. The two of them sat there like an old married couple.

As they both preened their body feathers it looked as if someone had emptied a pillow full of down. Normally the female will moult her wing and tail feathers whilst she is on the nest, and the male will start to moult once the chicks have fledged. I find it fascinating that they always moult corresponding wing feathers so that they are always balanced and their flight is not impaired. They continue moulting the downy body feathers and are constantly preening.

The eagles stayed in the Larch tree all afternoon and were still there when I left the hide to go home. I wonder what tomorrow will bring? Hopefully we'll see Heather .....

Viewing at the hide.

2009-09-03T17:31:00.001+01:00

A quick note on changes to trips to the viewing hide at the end of the month.

From Monday 21 September trips to the hide will run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10.00am and 1.00pm. Please note these details are subject to change as the season progresses. You can make bookings through Craignure Information Centre on 01680 812 556.

Prices

No change to prices (which include RSPB members): Adults £4, children (16 and under) £2, Family ticket (two adults and two children) £10. Free to island residents.

Wet and windswept

2009-08-14T15:08:00.003+01:00

Well, the forecast for today wasn't good, and for once it was right. When we arrived at the hide this morning Frisa, our female, was sat up in one of the Larch trees looking very wet and bedraggled. There was no sign of Skye (our male), or of Heather (their chick), and that was to be the pattern for the day. As the rain got heavier and the visibility worsened, Frisa took off and flew a short distance further into the trees to keep as dry as possible. Hopefully Skye and Heather were doing the same thing.

Come the afternoon trip there was nothing to see and half of our visitors decided to cancel their visit to the hide. Reluctantly I left to come back to the office to catch up with some paperwork. If the birds fed well yesterday there is really no need to fly again today - better to stay in the trees.

Views for the earlier part of the week were more promising with great fly-pasts by both adults although Heather has been keeping herself out of sight. She has found a new place to sit, just round the headland in front of us.

Yesterday we took a stand to the Mull and Morvern Agricultural Show in Salen to promote the hide and the Mull Eagle Watch project. We always make a point of telling our visitors about Operation Easter - the round-the-clock watch we mount on our Sea Eagle nests during the breeding season. Most people are amazed and outraged that there are collectors who still steal the eggs of rare birds, and as the rarest and largest bird in the UK the Sea Eagle (at just 45 pairs) is a prime target. Operation Easter was the brainchild of Strathclyde Police and involves a large group of volunteers - islanders and some of our visitors - who give up their time to watch the nests 24 hours a day, supported by extra police officers from all over the country. The initiative has been co-ordinated by our own Wildlife Crime Co-ordinator on the island - PC Finlay Christine. In March Finlay was presented with an award for Police Wildlife Officer of the Year in recognition for all his work for wildlife, and especially for Operation Easter which has been the basis for many other nest watch schemes. Sadly Finlay has recently retired, but rest assured that Operation Easter will continue - there are too many of us determined to continue to protect our eagles.

Mull hasn't lost any eggs to collectors for nine years, although tragically the last two eggs that were taken were within two days of hatching! It is beyond me why anyone would want to steal the eggs of any bird, let alone such a rare one. The eggs have no monetary value but are seen as trophies by the egg thieves. They are placed in specially made cases and often hidden at a different address to that of the thief, as they can be confiscated if found by the authorities. An egg collector in Scotland was recently charged for being in possession of 5,000 eggs of various rare birds - potentially 5,000 chicks which could have hatched and boosted the population.

The saddest thing is that many egg collectors are extremely good ornithologists. They often keep detailed diaries as they watch the nests of the birds they hope to target. Some of these diaries would be invaluable to professional ornithologists as they give details of particular nests over many years. Egg collecting often seems to run in the family, and some diaries and collections have been recovered going back to the late 19th and early 20th century. What a shame that all the information in those books can't be used for the right reasons!

To end on a bright note, Mull's Sea Eagles have managed to fledge ten chicks between them this year - a great result!

Now you see them, now you .......

2009-08-07T16:52:00.004+01:00

What an amazing day! Although the forecast was for sun and showers, the latter never materialised. The loch was completely still, reflecting trees, hills and clouds.

I arrived at the hide to witness a fly-past by our adult male, Skye. He landed in a tree opposite the hide and I quickly set up the scopes before leaving to collect the morning's visitors. Needless to say, when we returned he had gone and I hoped he hadn't gone hunting for the rest of the day.

I needn't have worried - not long after Skye returned, did a great fly-past giving everyone a good view of his white tail, and then Frisa appeared above him and the two birds circled above us before disappearing into the distance. Not to be outdone Heather, our chick, flew over showing off her flying skills and landed on a fallen tree in the bay opposite the hide.

We were also treated to a great view of the female Hen Harrier, and heard Kestrels alarm calling - probably spooked by the local Ravens.

Surely the afternoon couldn't be as good ...

No sooner had I started my introduction to the hide and the Sea Eagles, Skye flew directly overhead, as low as I had ever seen him. Again he circled to give everyone a very good view, then landed in the bay in front of us, just out of sight but not far from a Heron. Shortly afterwards Heather flew in and after a couple of attempts, managed to land in one of the trees opposite. As I walked down the path to the bottom of the field with our scope and a small party of visitors, the Heron caught an eel and took off, hotly pursued by Skye. As he has caught a Heron once before whilst the chicks were still on the nest, I wondered if we were going to see a repeat performance. They flew straight past us and we watched them for some time, then Skye dropped down out of sight and the Heron started to circle above him. I can only imagine that he had forced the Heron to drop his prey and had then taken advantage of it.

Whilst we waited to see what would happen next a Golden Eagle circled over the crag, and a Buzzard treated us to great views as he caught a thermal and spiralled up just above us. Everyone agreed that, whilst they are no longer a rarity in the UK, Buzzards are still beautiful birds. One of the youngsters in our group of visitors found a tiny common lizard on the grass path, and all the children crowded round to see it before it scurried off into the undergrowth.

Heather started calling every few minutes, and we were able to hear an adult calling from further away. I wondered if the adult had caught prey and was trying to persuade Heather to go and get it (rather than having it delivered by one of her parents). Whatever the calling was about, Heather was not going anywhere and sat in her tree preening.

At 15.00 our visitors managed to tear themselves away, and whilst I was tidying up the hide I happened to glance up to see Heather flying towards me. She came right overhead and I was amazed to see how much confidence she had gained in the short time since she fledged. She was flying very strongly with deep wingbeats and I watched her until she disappeared, before leaving for the day - though it was quite hard to tear myself away.

There are some days which are near perfect, and today was certainly one of them - good weather, an enthusiastic group of visitors and great views of our eagles. Wonderful!

Hide and Seek

2009-08-06T15:47:00.003+01:00

Now that Heather has fledged she is really keeping us guessing: we never know where she is going to appear next! Each time we see her her flying skills have improved a little more. At one point we saw her flying alongside Skye, her father, and it was incredible to see this 15 week old chick who was larger than her 15 year old father! As with most birds of prey the female White tailed Sea Eagle is larger than the male, so Frisa and Heather are 25% bigger than Skye. (The scientific name for this is reversed sexual size dimorphism!).

To begin with Heather wasn't too adventurous and spent a lot of time sitting on a headland protruding into the opposite side of the loch. Frisa caught two Common Gulls and delivered them to Heather, and she spent hours sat with her daughter. On one occasion two walkers spotted them, but instead of enjoying the view they had from the track they decided to walk across the fields until they were directly opposite the eagles. This proved too much for Frisa who took off and flew back across the loch to perch in a tree. She never took her eyes off the intruder.

Heather stayed put and we wondered if she would be tempted to join her mother. When the afternoon trip ended we stayed on to see what would happen, slightly concerned that Heather was on her own on a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides.

The following morning there was no sign of the bird and it had been raining hard. Where was she? We need not have worried. As the weather dried up and the sun came out Heather crept out of the bracken where she was sheltering from the rain. We were very relieved.

Since then Heather has become a little more independent and isn't so reliant on her parents. We have seen her flying quite high, although she is still a little wobbly from time to time. We think Frisa has been teaching her chick how to land as we have seen the two birds flying together. Frisa lands in a tree and then takes off again and Heather follows, landing on exactly the same branch! Maybe Frisa is trying to teach her which branches will take her weight?

Our resident Hen Harriers have been flying close to the hide giving our visitors amazing views of both the male and female. We are hoping to see them with their chicks in the next week or two. On a smaller scale a family of Spotted Flycatchers have just fledged right in front of the hide and we have enjoyed watching their antics with our visitors. There's never a dull moment at the eagle hide!

Ups and Downs at Loch Frisa

2009-07-30T16:12:00.009+01:00

The last time I wrote one of our chicks had left the nest at ten and a half weeks, and we were waiting with bated breath to find out what had happened to it. Unfortunately I had an accident and had to have three weeks off work, but I kept up to date with my colleagues at the hide. The two chicks (a male and a female) were named Bracken and Heather by children from Ulva Ferry Primary School on Mull. After a few days the "fledged" chick, Bracken, had still not been seen but after much discussion and soul-searching it was decided not to go in and investigate. It has been known for the chick remaining on the nest to be upset by someone creeping around below the nest tree, and it could fledge early, possibly damaging itself. So the decision was made to leave things be until the second chick fledged.

At twelve weeks old Heather fledged successfully. Bracken had still not been seen so the RSPB officer licensed to attend the nest, Dave Sexton, went through the forest to the nest tree where he made the grim discovery. Bracken was found dead, hanging towards the bottom of the tree, surrounded by a great deal of nest material. The nest was built at the last minute and it was clear that our male, Skye, was not entirely happy with the construction as he kept bringing in extra pieces of nest material right up to the time the first chick fledged. Both chicks had been very active, practising wing flapping exercises, and the weather had been very wet with strong winds. It seems that the combination of two six kilo chicks plus the adverse weather resulted in the front part of the nest collapsing, taking Bracken with it. We were heartbroken! A post mortem showed that Bracken had died of injuries to the wings and neck consistent with a heavy fall.

I'm pleased to say that Heather is doing really well. I returned to the hide on Monday this week (thank goodness) desperate to see her fly, and she didn't let me down. Even without seeing the colours of the birds it is obvious which is Heather as she is still mastering the art of flying, wobbling a little as she circles and sometimes forgetting to tuck up her legs close to her body. She looks very ungainly on the ground too.

Today we saw Heather flying with Frisa, circling high over the trees. Her legs were tucked up and she looked very confident. Later the two birds landed on a headland on the other side of the loch, giving us great views. Earlier in the week we had seen them in the same place feeding together on a gull.

So despite the heartbreak of losing Bracken, we have one strong healthy female chick in Heather. She is a beautiful chocolate brown colour and has yet to get her black beak, pale head and white tail which will all come over the next four to five years.

We are still getting plenty of visitors at the hide so if you are planning to come to Mull, please come and see us. Quite apart from our eagles we have plenty of other wildlife; we even had an otter walk nonchalantly through the car park and down to the lochside recently. It's great to be back!

This year's chicks

2009-07-07T09:39:00.003+01:00

This great picture is the first image of this year's sea eagle chicks. It was taken by Alasdair Cameron, Wildlife Ranger Manager with Forestry Commission Scotland, during the birds’ ringing. See a larger version of the image.

One down, one to go

2009-07-01T17:00:00.004+01:00

On Friday morning I was watching the nest with a group of visitors. Both chicks were there and one was very active, flapping its wings and preening. This wasn't unusual and when I took the afternoon trip down to our forward hide I expected to see something similar. But no, there was only one chick. I scanned the branches around the nest to see if the chick was there. Nothing! Later, Skye, the male Sea Eagle appeared sitting in a larch tree well below the nest. I'd never seen him there before, and he seemed to be looking down at the ground most of the time.

The other chick seemed to be quite happy by itself on the nest, alternately exercising and feeding. I stayed on at the hide after the visitors had left, but eventually I had to leave, albeit reluctantly. Skye remained in position, but there was still no sign of the missing chick.

Saturday came and went with good views of Frisa and the chick in the nest, but still there was no sign of the "fledged" chick. Wherever it was, it seemed likely that Skye was watching over it as he didn't put in an appearance all day.

By Sunday we were beginning to get quite worried, and on Monday when there was still no sign of our fledged chick we were beginning to fear the worst. It was my day off, but I couldn't stay away - I was desperate to know if our chick was still alive. Maybe it had fallen and injured itself. Skye still hadn't appeared so we were hopeful that he was guarding his chick.

On Tuesday morning I arrived at the hide early and put up the scope to scan the trees around the nest. The visibility wasn't great, but there, at the top of one of the sitka spruce trees was a strange dark shape. Zooming in I realised it was our chick. It was sitting very awkwardly with one wing at an angle to its body. If this had been its first proper flight it obviously needed to practise its landing skills. I couldn't tear myself away - was it our chick? There was no white on its tail, no flash of yellow on its beak. I was sure it wasn't one of our adults, but struggled to convince myself that I was really seeing the fledged chick. The other chick was still on the nest, and seemed quite happy exercising and feeding on whatever delicacy the adults had brought for it.

When I arrived back at the hide with the first trip of the day I checked the scope - the fledgling had gone. It didn't appear for the rest of the day, and I was beginning to doubt my earlier sighting. Later in the afternoon the RSPB officer Dave, who holds a licence which allows him to get closer to the nest, spent some time in the woods below the trees and after a while managed to hear two chicks calling, one on the nest, and one further away. Whilst he was there Frisa, the female came in and landed.

The fledged chick hasn't put in another appearance yet, but at least we know we still have two chicks. We haven't seen Skye either, so he must be perched near the fledgling making sure it is safe and well fed. The chick's sibling is still on the nest making the most of the extra space, and being able to eat as much as it likes without having to share.

I can't say we're relaxed about the fledgling yet, but Frisa seems to be her normal self, and we have heard no alarm or distress calls from adults or chicks. Watch this space.....

Will they ..... won't they

2009-06-25T10:17:00.005+01:00

After last week's appalling weather we are once again blessed with blazing sunshine. There were times last week when we were seriously concerned for our Sea Eagles' nest. Two active chicks weighing nearly six kilos each on a nest battered by the wind and beaten by torrential rain seemed a recipe for disaster - especially when we saw the adult birds bringing in extra material to shore up the nest. On Monday this week the cloud was so low it was impossible to see the nest tree, let alone the nest and chicks.

But Tuesday dawned bright and warm, and our Skye and Frisa were busy hunting to feed their chicks. Although the adults always keep a "larder" of food on the nest in case they are unable to hunt, last week's supply must have been rapidly depleted. We were able to go back down to our forward hide where we can see the nest and the chicks. The first visitor to look through the scope was almost speechless, as one of our chicks was right on the edge of the nest flapping its wings hard. This behaviour has continued on and off all week, and at ten weeks old the chicks could fledge at any time now, although they usually go at around twelve weeks.

We are waiting to see the adult birds bring in food and sit in a nearby tree with it; this is the signal for the chicks to leave the nest for the first time. We can barely tear ourselves away at the end of each day, as we don't want to miss that first flight.

When the chicks first take off it will only be for a short hop, but each "flight" will be a little longer. Usually the flights are quite successful, but the first few landings are not so good with the chicks trying to land on branches that are too small for them. They spend time on the ground too, and in previous years we have received calls from members of the public telling us that a chick must have injured its leg because of the way it is walking. In fact the birds are quite ungainly on the ground and tend to look like John Wayne as they waddle about.

Our red breasted mergansers have beaten the eagles to it, as we have seen the female this week with a little flotilla of chicks behind her. The sand martins are on their second brood, the young greater spotted woodpecker is changing daily and has really mastered the peanut feeder, and the buzzards are due to fledge any day now.

Our hay meadow next to the forward hide is a mass of wild flowers with yellow rattle, ragged robin as well as common spotted orchids and fragrant orchids.

So we continue to watch our two chicks with bated breath and I hope that my next blog will describe their first flight.

Healthy chicks and happy children

2009-06-05T16:32:00.003+01:00

On Wednesday this week our chicks were ringed; we have two healthy, well-fed chicks at Loch Frisa. It was a very hot day and the team had their work cut out, but fortunately both Skye and Frisa were away hunting and this year's chicks were co-operative as usual. As yet we don't know the sex of the chicks, but blood samples were taken when the chicks were ringed and the results will give us the answer. As usual, food was left at the nest in case the adults were away for long, but we needn't have worried! Frisa soon came in, checked out her chicks and seemed very surprised to see a supply of halibut in the nest!

We have had visits from two schools this week. A group of 17 third year high school pupils came over to the island from Oban and had great views of the adult sea eagles and the chicks at the nest. We also talked about food chains and had great fun taking apart Barn Owl pellets and identifying the bones in them.

Today the children from Lochdonhead Primary School (here on the island) came to visit and had a lovely time watching Frisa who sat up in a nearby tree and gave us great views. The owl pellets were very popular again and the children ended up each with a little pot of bones to take back to school.

Our chicks are seven weeks old now and growing by the minute. With approximately five weeks to go until they fledge they have become more and more active giving our visitors great views.

Time for a bath

2009-05-18T16:11:00.004+01:00

Today dawned warm but dull with the forecast for rain. This morning at the hide we were treated to great views of both adult Sea Eagles flying and bringing in food, and the chicks were very active on the nest. At 33 days old now they are growing fast and are now greyish brown - difficult to see against the branches in the nest until they move.

The juvenile Golden Eagle came through again - he nearly always takes a direct line over the nest and I wonder if he is looking at the store of food that our Sea Eagles have left for their chicks. Thank goodness he hasn't been tempted to go and help himself, and our adult birds don't seem to be too worried by his visits.

This afternoon the promised rain arrived. Both adult Sea Eagles were away from the nest but within minutes of the heavy rain starting both flew back in, one with food, and the chicks were fed and sheltered.

I took a group of visitors to our forward hide and we were treated to the most amazing sight. Frisa flew out of the trees and circled above the loch in front of us getting lower and lower. We all thought she was going to take a fish but no, she landed in the shallows about 150 metres away from us. First she drank, and then she bathed. Not just a quick dip, but a real dunking, shaking her wings and dipping her whole body under the water. After a while she walked out onto the shore, had a good shake and began to preen. We could all see her with the naked eye, but with binoculars and scopes the views were amazing.

Once she was happy with her appearance she took off and flew to the trees opposite us, all the time being mobbed by two Hooded Crows who actually made contact with her. One of them had the temerity to land in the tree next to her, but it soon decided she was a bit too close for comfort and disappeared.

It was certainly the closest view I've ever had of an adult sea eagle, and our visitors were speechless. After 38 days of incubating her eggs, followed by another month tending her chicks and feeding them, Frisa must have been feeling very much in need of a clean up - she really did seem to be enjoying her ablutions. Now her tail is whiter than white again!

Sunshine and an Osprey!

2009-05-13T08:49:00.003+01:00

Well, this week we could be in a different country. The torrential rain and gales have blown through and we have had the most wonderful warm, sunny days.

The eagles have been working hard to feed their rapidly growing chicks and we have had some wonderful views of both adults flying right overhead giving some spectacular displays. When the sun catches the white tail our visitors are awestruck.

The chicks are much more active this week at almost four weeks old, and are beginning to try to pull their own food apart. Their antics are quite amusing when they both have the same piece of food, with one of the youngsters often falling over backwards.

Whilst our party was split between the top and forward hides on Monday we had a fantastic view of an osprey flying through. Ospreys don't nest on Mull, but every year we have at least one bird turning up on the island and maybe one year we will have a pair who decide to stay. Our bird gave us a lovely display circling low over the loch before flying southwards.

We've also had a juvenile Golden Eagle floating around above the hide - not getting too close to the nest, thank goodness, but giving our visitors a great opportunity to see the difference in wing and tail shape between Golden and Sea Eagles.

As I write the sun is still shining - long may it last!

Some Anxious Moments

2009-05-11T16:46:00.002+01:00

Last week's appalling weather had us on the edge of the seats as we wondered what was happening with our Sea Eagle family.

Torrential rain and low cloud meant that most of the time the nest was completely obscured and for two days we did not even see the adults going out to hunt. On the odd occasions we could see the nest the adult bird looked bedraggled and wet, but still huddled as low down as possible to keep the chicks dry and warm. Then to add to the eagles' problems a strong wind got up and the adults struggled to keep a hold of their favourite perch.

The worst time of all for me was when I saw both adult birds leave the nest and fly off towards Calgary, leaving two vulnerable little chicks lying wet and cold in the nest. Frisa was only gone for 30 minutes but it seemed like forever. When she eventually returned she brought in some food at last.

After the last visitors had gone I went down to our forward hide where we have a telescope trained on the nest. I really didn't expect to see anything as the cloud was so low, but it cleared just enough for me to see Frisa standing on the nest delicately feeding her chicks with the two little white heads bobbing up and down. The sense of relief was enormous, and we are hoping for better weather for the week ahead. This week is Mull Wildlife Week and we are usually blessed with sunshine, so fingers crossed!

We have had plenty of other sightings around the hide, so more of those in my next post.

Wonderful news!

2009-04-21T21:22:00.005+01:00

I'm delighted to say that Skye and Frisa are proud parents!

We're not sure how many chicks they have, although we suspect two, but we have had some wonderful views of Frisa tenderly feeding her offspring.

It always amazes me that such a large bird, with feet almost as big as my hand, can tear tiny pieces of food from the prey and gently place it into her chick's beak - a beak about the size of your fingernail.

Skye is busy playing the proud father and has chosen a roost very close to the nest tree so that he can guard his new family when he is not out hunting for them. Frisa spends her time rearranging the nest bowl so that it is comfortable for her chick(s) before settling herself gently down to keep them warm. Today the weather was cooler and there were some very heavy rain showers, so she was brooding her young very closely, but she did allow herself a little time away from the nest. As soon as she was certain that Skye had taken over in the nest, she did a small circuit before flying right over our hide - as if to tell us all the good news.

The adult birds will be very busy for the next few weeks, bringing in ever increasing amounts of food for their family. By eight weeks of age the chicks will be fully grown - an incredible growth rate - and they will spend the last three or four weeks growing their flight feathers to their full length and practising wing exercises on the edge of the nest. At around twelve weeks the chicks will be ready to fledge and the adults will be trying to encourage them to fly by perching in a nearby tree with food until the youngsters take that plunge into the unknown.

Skye and Frisa are not the first pair of Sea Eagles on Mull to hatch their chicks this year. You might remember the publicity in the press last year when a photographer got too close to another nest on the island, forcing the female to leave her eggs for well over an hour. The eggs chilled and failed to hatch and the photographer was charged with reckless disturbance and fined £600. This year the eagles built a new nest and last week their chicks hatched, so everyone is delighted.

Skye, who is 15 years old, and Frisa, 17, have been nesting on Loch Frisa for eleven years now, so they know their territory well and this year's nest is well positioned to keep intruders away. They are still harassed by the local Ravens, buzzards, Hooded Crows and Golden Eagles, and even the occasional juvenile Sea Eagle flies a little bit too close to the nest, but you can rest assured that both birds will guard the nest with their lives.

There will be plenty of activity over the weeks to come, so if you can get to the hide we'll be delighted to tell you all about it. If you can't make it to Mull this year keep watching the blog and I'll do my best to make you feel as if you are here with us.

The tension builds

2009-04-20T15:30:00.003+01:00

We have had some wonderful views from our hide, and with the recent beautiful weather, our White-tailed Sea Eagles Skye and Frisa have given us some great displays.

Most of the action has been from Skye, which is not surprising since our female, Frisa, does the majority of the incubation especially now we are nearing the hatch date. On one occasion Frisa must have needed to stretch her wings because as Skye came towards the nest she took off, circled on the thermals and then flew straight over the hide. Our visitors watched breathlessly and Frisa was close enough for them to see her white tail and huge yellow beak.

Since we opened we have had plenty of visitors, and even if the eagles don't fly, Skye spends much of his time perched in a tree close to the nest, so he is quite easy to see through binoculars.

We are watching carefully for signs of food being brought to the nest; we are nearly at the end of the 38 days incubation, so are waiting with bated breath. Hopefully our next blog will contain some exciting news!

2009 season is off to a flying start!

2009-04-11T11:02:00.004+01:00

The hide opened on Monday 6th April and we have had some wonderful views of the Sea Eagles over the last few days.

Both Skye and Frisa have been active, despite the bad weather on two days, and it looks as if they have chosen a favourite roost tree which is right opposite the hide. Yesterday one of them caught a gull which they took to the opposite side of the loch to eat, before flying to the roost tree.

Later in the day, Frisa flew to the same tree where she sat and preened for a while before taking off and flying right over the hide.

We've had plenty of good sightings of other raptors too, with Golden Eagles and Buzzards, and the occasional Hen Harrier. We now have a Buzzard-cam set up on a Buzzard's nest - the female hasn't laid eggs yet but has been adding greenery to the nest which is a good sign, and we can watch her every move on a screen in the hide.

Although this year's Sea Eagle nest is difficult to see, the views we have had of the birds this week more than make up for this so if you are planning to come to Mull the hide is well worth a visit.

Come and visit us.

2009-03-27T14:58:00.004Z

If you haven't been before, Loch Frisa on Mull is one of the best places in Europe to enjoy unique and spectacular views of White-tailed Sea Eagles. Book a trip and you'll be taken by a Mull Eagle Watch ranger to the hide where you can watch the nesting family from a safe distance.

As well as these stunning birds of prey, Loch Frisa is home to plenty of other wildlife, including golden eagles, hen harriers, buzzards, otters along the coast and red deer, which will be calving in June.

Been before?

If you've been to see us before, the hide is about 500m further down the road this year, with parking on the opposite side of the road to and within 20m of the hide.

Times and prices

Prices and trips times are same as last year: £2 children, and £4 Adults. Trips times are at 10.00 am and 1.00 pm.

For full details of getting to the meeting point see our main page at www.forestry.gov.uk/mullseaeagles.

Welcome to the 2009 season!

2009-03-11T10:35:00.002Z

Welcome back - the sea eagle season is here again.

Once again we'll be running trips to the viewing hide and booking is essential. Trips to the hide will start on the 6th April 09. The booking line is now open - call 01688 302 038.

Full details of the season will be on the main sea eagles page at www.forestry.gov.uk/mullseaeagles.

Hide closes 12th September

2008-09-10T14:01:00.000+01:00

The hide will officially close for the season on Friday 12th September 2008, but members of the public are still welcome to journey on foot or bicycle through Loch Frisa looking for the birds, who are very likely to stay in close proximity of the loch.

August Update

2008-08-27T09:25:00.002+01:00

What a busy few weeks! The Loch Frisa hide has provided a huge draw to visitors during August so we have decided to stay open until mid-September and extend the opening hours to 10am - 4pm Fridays - Tuesdays.

Mara and Breagha are certainly getting to grips with eagle life and showing off their new-found agility everyday. Folk are getting some great views so if you are in the area, please do call in!

Follow the birds with satellite tracking

2008-08-06T11:41:00.003+01:00

This year's sea eagle chicks Mara and Brèagha have been fitted with satellite tracking tags and you can follow their flight online - see the RSPB's sea eagle tracking pages. As yet, the chicks haven't moved very far, but it won't be long before they are going further afield.

The site also has some excellent images of the chicks being ringed.

The full address for the tracking site is http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/tracking/mulleagles/

Formal trips over - but you can still visit

2008-08-05T16:49:00.003+01:00

Formal ranger-led trips to the Loch Frisa Hide have now finished for the season, however, the hide is still open to the public Friday to Tuesday, 10.00am - 1.00pm until 31st August.

The hide is located above the south shore of Loch Frisa on the FCS Lettermore forest track. When the hide is open, parking is available nearby, 3.5 km from the Salen road end.

If you need more information, please contact Mull and Iona Ranger Service on 01680 300640.

Up, Up and Away

2008-07-22T16:00:00.002+01:00

Well...thats all folks! Mara and Breagha are both off the nest and getting ready to make their way in the world. Soon you'll be able to follow them on the RSPB website and they should be hard at work soon learning how to hunt, fly and fish. Fingers crossed they keep entertaining us for a good few years.

Ranger-led trips to the Hide will close on Thursday 24th June but from Tuesday 29th July - Sunday 31st August, the hide will be open to the public from 10am - 1pm on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. For more info, call 01680 300640

Enjoy the rest of the summer and keep your eyes on the sky!

Up, up and away

2008-07-17T09:27:00.002+01:00

Its a nerve-wracking time waiting for the chicks to fledge but on Sunday, Breagha (female), took her first tentative flight much to our delight. Her first voyage took her up around the nest a couple of times before landing behind the forest to spend a couple of days gathering herself for the next one. Mara is still to make the leap. He was bravely branching-out yesterday so will he still be on the nest this morning...better go and have a look!

On The Edge...

2008-07-11T14:30:00.002+01:00

Well, it could happen any day now. At nearly 12 weeks old, Mara and Breagha are due to make their first flight - albeit a flight scheduled to land fairly soon after take-off and involve a week on the runway before the next departure. Skye & Frisa seem to be enjoying the rest as they reduce the number of feeds going into the nest in order to make the chicks take more likely to venture out for a feed. The adults have done an awful lot of sitting around this week and not always in their usual spots so they are certainly keeping us on our toes. We were treated to a spectacular fishing expedition though - after a morning of carefully eyeing-up the loch, Frisa treated up to a display of fishing eagle-style one early afternoon. That wee trout couldn't have seen her coming but the chicks were certainly glad of it and made very short work of it!

Introducing...

2008-07-04T14:17:00.002+01:00

Well, those clever folk in the lab have returned the DNA results on our chicks so we can proudly announce that we have a male and female chick in this year's brood. Salen Primary School's Gaelic Department had the honour of naming them so ... without further ado, I introduce Mara (male) and Breagha (female)! Both of these are Gaelic names, with 'Mara' meaning 'sea' and 'Breagha' meaning 'beautiful' and pronounced 'bree-ha' - very apt as I'm sure you'll agree!

Thankfully, Mara and Breagha remained unruffled by the high winds and heavy rainfall that marked the start of July up here - ah, Scottish summers! It really isn't going to be long before they fledge and on Sunday they'll be 11 weeks old. Skye and Frisa seem to be slowing down the feeding efforts a little, hoping no doubt that hungry chicks will be a bit easier to tempt off the nest when its time to make the jump. After that, its some intensive eagle training as Mara and Breagha learn the ropes.

PS. Good news too from the swallows nest with the hatch of the first chick early Thursday morning. All seems to be going well there so hopefully all four eggs will bear chicks.

Eyes Up!

2008-06-27T14:17:00.003+01:00

Some real West Coast weather this week but the chicks don't seem too bothered by it. On Monday we were treated to a cracking view of the osprey feeding above the loch. It had found itself a great wee perch to enjoy a trout or two so fingers crossed it'll book that table again!

Skye and Frisa have been feeling the draft and have taken to perching out of the wind up above the nest so our intrepid visitors have been leaving the warmth of the hide. Their patience has been more than rewarded with some great views. This morning, the male bird, Skye, flew right over our heads, so close that you could clearly see his eyeball. Absolutely fantastic! Later on, a juvenile also flew over our heads. From below, we caught the yellow wing tags but no more - could it have been Haggis or Oatie, the 2006 chicks? Fortunately when this year's chicks fledge we'll have the satellite tags so no more wondering what they are up to!

Won't be long now though. With the chicks celebrating their 10 week birthday on Sunday, they could fledge any time after that so the next fortnight we'll be keeping an extra-close eye on them.

Keeping Tabs

2008-06-19T16:46:00.003+01:00

Its not just the birds that fly up here, time seems to as well. The chicks are now 8.5 weeks old and have been introduced to some real Mull weather this week as the we 'enjoy' some refreshing showers - keeps the dust down at least! They should fledge sometime in mid-July so they can be seen stretching those wings at the moment and building up some much-needed muscle. Yesterday, the satellite tags were fitted to the birds so once they fledge we can keep a really close eye on them and find out more about their dispersal patterns over the next 5 years.

Its a busy time for lots of anxious adult birds at the moment as all sorts of chicks take to the wing and some of the smaller birds are on their second clutch. Some enterprising swallows have built a completely round nest on the security light over the door of the hide. There are four eggs in there at the moment so we'll be keeping an eye on them too with the aid of a CCTV camera.

Nest To See You

2008-06-08T12:41:00.002+01:00

Another fantastic week of weather despite a few showers which have at least served to keep the dust down. Justin, the RPSB tree-climber was up this week to ring the chicks which are now 7 weeks old. The 2008 nest seems to be in great shape and there was plenty evidence of prey up there so all's well and the chicks are still growing, growing, growing. Mind you, from up there he may have got an eagle's eye view but he did miss the osprey mobbing a juvenille sea eagle near the hide! We've also been treated to a cracking view of a very obliging peregrine falcon which perched near the hide for over an hour! Just goes to show that Loch Frisa is still full of surprises!

Welcome back stranger

2008-05-30T17:22:00.002+01:00

Some great views this week and not only of the sea eagles. We've seen an osprey over the hide again this week so there is yet another reason to keep our eyes peeled. The adult birds have given us some fantastic shows again this week, taking to some unusual perches - its not often you see a sea eagle on a fence post rather than a buzzard! With the chicks gaining weight all the time, Skye & Frisa certainly have their work cut out for them with more and more food going into the nest everyday. More carrion anyone?

Sun, sand (martins) and sea eagles...

2008-05-20T16:15:00.003+01:00

Yes, even the Isle of Mull has been basking in the tropical May heatwave, just the weather for young sea eagle chicks! The warm weather has given them the best possible start but its hard to believe they are 4 weeks old already. Looking more like two grey balls of fluff with wee stubby wings, they get more and more inquisitive everyday, popping their heads up over the nest to see who's watching in between feeds. Skye has been doing the majority of hunting, while Frisa has been making the most of the morning sun and is often seen sitting out on the perch tree, keeping an eye out on the nest and no doubt on us too!

Cuckoos seem to be all the more vocal this spring with some excellent views from the hide. The first osprey of the season was spotted last week but no signs of them giving Loch Frisa a go this year. We do however have a few very industrious sand martins working in the cut-away bank in front of the hide. If they are successful, they be one of only 4 colonies on the island. We have built up a species list of 68 st the hide since it opened, so who knows what else might drop by!

Back in business!

2008-05-08T15:48:00.002+01:00

2008 looks set to see a return to form for our Loch Frisa sea eagle pair, Skye and Frisa. The pair took up residence on a new nest in early March and sat tight on their eggs until they hatched around the 20th April.

A few weeks later and with spring very much in the air, the chicks are now old enough to be left ‘home alone’ on the nest while both adults are out and about finding food for these very hungry fluff balls.

Watching from the hide, this pair never fails to impress, showing off their 8ft wingspans as they soar over Loch Frisa and so we are looking forward to another successful season with them. It hasn’t just been the birds who have changed address. Our new all-ability hide opened to the public on Good Friday, providing a warm welcome to wildlife watchers young and old.

We’ve already built up an impressive species list and we continue to run daily trips to the hide – book now and don’t miss out!

We have two chicks

2008-05-07T10:40:00.000+01:00

Two small heads have been spotted peaking over the edge of the nest.

Welcome to the sea eagles blog

2008-05-07T10:22:00.000+01:00

Stay in touch with the Mull sea eagles season via our blog. We'll post updates on the birds and how they're getting on. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions here too.

If you've arrived here from the main Mull sea eagles site, there's a link back to those pages on the right hand side. Or if you've found the blog by other means and want to know more, why not visit the Mull sea eagles site to see what it's all about.